looks like it’s between Webber and Vettel again (the same 0.5 second between them in FP2 and FP3, just the other way around) with Alonso getting best of the rest and Kubica, Massa and Hamilton fighting for 4th.

Still it’s a lot better than the situation at the beginning of the year when Kubica would pull out five tenths or more. Petrov’s looking good here and he was strong in Hockenheim too. I could see him splitting the McLarens in qualifying if all goes well.

He was strong at Silverstone as well, but mechanical woes in qualifying shunted him down the grid and a slow puncture late in the race forced a second stop. He showed us what he was capable of in Turkey, but I suspect his confidence was shaken a little after Canada.

It’s very easy to forget that Petrov started racing in the Lada Cup in Russia before he stepped up to GP2. So he’s really driving high-end machinery without the base education in karting and Formula Three that most drivers have. Not to mention that the likes of Nico Hulkenberg and Kamui Kobayashi – really his main rivals; Renault have reportedly told him that they want to see him racing Hulkenberg if he wants to retain his seat – had established working relationships with Williams and Toyota for years before stepping into Formula 1. Hulkenberg, for instance, was groomed by Williams ever since he was first spotted in the F3 Euroseries. So of al the rookies, Petrov is probably the least experienced. Yet he’s trouncing them in the points. Maybe that’s because he took a gamble and stayed out on dry tyres in Shanghai, but the ability to read the prevailing weather conditions (and sometimes put your faith in the team’s ability to make a strategy call) is one of the most important skills a driver can have.

Webber looked to have .1 on Vettel before he hit traffic and he just didn’t compete yesterday. I don’t think they turn the wick up on the blown diffuser usually Fridays but Vettel did because Webber was pressuring him. Webber was o him and he just came out and knocked it down 0.8 and that might be what the blown diffuser is really worth to the RB6. No bigger gap than 0.15 between them though.

Vettel was hard eyed on his screen after P3, expect Webber’s settings to migrate again. Let’s see what the relative car speed vs the shape of the Q3 lap looks like between them. Magyar is the one the Austrians will want Vettel on pole for more than 1 reason. De facto home race and track position and getting up on Webber to make the favouritism automatic again. Nobody wants to be in dirty P2 either.

I like Petrov too and think he might have it but they would be better off with a PDLR or Rubens and that is what McLaren is missing too.

I’m expecting Rubens to surprise. He always turns up the gap another 0.3-0.5 or so over Hulkenberg from FP3 to qualy.